Girls' Night Out
by brilliantly confused
Summary: Misao is dragged out clubbing by her friends and meets a mysterious man after they abandon her. Chapters 13, 14, & 15 posted! Complete!
1. Last Minute Plans

Author's notes at the end of chapter. Please take the time to read them and then review. Thanks.  
6/10/04

* * *

RING! RING!  
  
"Urgh!" Propping up on her elbow, Misao threw her pillow at the telephone on her nightstand. The pillow flew off the nightstand taking the clock with it.  
  
RING! RING!!  
  
Even on the floor, the phone continued to ring. Trying to drown out the sound of the phone, Misao cranked the stereo up using her remote and pulled her covers over her head along with her extra pillow.  
  
RING! RING!  
  
Giving up on ignoring the ringing, Misao leaned over and fished around on the floor. Once her hand hit the phone, she grabbed it and answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
::Hey Misao::  
  
"What do you want, Megumi?"  
  
::Ready for a night out?::  
  
"Oh, don't pull this girls' night out crap with me now!"  
  
::But Kaoru already agreed. YOU HAVE TO COME!::  
  
"It's already 9:45. And I have to work in the morning."  
  
::Wuss!::  
  
"Fine! When?"  
  
::Ten minutes. Kaoru and I will be there to pick you up. Be ready.::  
  
Hopping out of bed, Misao dropped the cordless phone back into its holder. She rushed to the bathroom and warmed the tap water for a shower. Once the water was warm enough, Misao climbed in. Turning the showerhead on full blast, she began to shampoo her hair and sing.  
  
_Now I will tell you what I've done for you  
  
50 thousand tears I've cried  
  
Screaming deceiving and bleeding for you  
  
And you still won't hear me  
  
Don't want your hand this time I'll save myself  
  
Maybe I'll wake up for once  
  
Not tormented daily defeated by you  
  
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom  
  
I'm dying again  
  
I'm going under  
  
Drowning in you  
  
I'm falling forever  
  
I've got to break through  
  
I'm going under  
  
Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies  
  
So I don't know what's real and what's not  
  
Always confusing the thoughts in my head  
  
So I can't trust myself anymore  
  
I'm going under  
  
Drowning in you  
  
I'm falling forever  
  
I've got to break through  
  
So go on and scream  
  
Scream at me I'm so far away  
  
I won't be broken again  
  
I've got to breath I can't keep going under  
_  
As soon as her hair was completely rinsed, Misao turned off the water and grabbed her big, fluffy green towel. Misao wrapped up in her towel after drying off. She then grabbed an extra, white towel and began to dry her hair with it.  
  
Misao went back to her room adjoined to the bathroom, singing and dancing along with the radio as she went.  
  
Reaching her room, Misao wrapped her hair in the white towel, piling it on top of her head. She threw open the closet doors and let the green towel fall to the floor.  
  
'Thank God Shiro moved out. Else wise, I'd have to be worried about him walking in. Maybe, I'll just stay roommate less. It makes life so much easier.'  
  
Rooting around, Misao found her clubbing section of clothes. Grabbing the whole, huge section, she tossed them on the bed. Crossing the room, she opened her top dresser drawer and tossed a lacy pair of black underwear onto the bed along with a matching bra.  
  
Turning to her full length mirror, Misao tested out potential outfits. Eventually, she settled on an outfit. Pulling on her underwear, Misao then reached for her black leather mini skirt. When the skirt was correctly settled on her hips, Misao zipped the back of the skirt.  
  
Next, came the black bra. Misao unhooked the removable straps and then put on the bra.  
  
DING DONG!  
  
Abandoning her task of getting ready, Misao exited her room and headed for the door to her apartment.  
  
Kaoru and Megumi entered as soon as the door was opened.  
  
Misao retreated to her room immediately afterwards. She was followed by her friends after they retrieved drinks from the kitchen.  
  
"Misao, how can you see to get ready? It's practically dark in here. The only lights are your clock, your stereo, and what comes in through your window," Kaoru questioned.  
  
"Don't bother, Kaoru. She's always gone with very little light before clubbing," Megumi explained.  
  
Misao pulled on a red tube top with gold embroidery and asked Kaoru to zip it. She pulled the towel out of the way and Kaoru pulled up the zipper on the upper half of her back.  
  
Re-entering the bathroom, Misao gathered her make-up. Skipping the foundation, Misao started with her eyes. Her eyes were lined with black, liquid eyeliner. To that, she added a cream-base eye shadow. On top of that, she put on red eye shadow. The shade perfectly matched her top. On top of the red, Misao dusted on a light gold shimmer.  
  
Misao added mascara that made her already long eyelashes impossibly longer.  
  
The blush came next. Smiling, she lightly dusted the apples of her cheeks with a light pink blush.  
  
Last, the lipstick was added. The shade also matched her shirt. She covered her lips with long-practiced grace.  
  
While Misao worked, Megumi and Kaoru touched up their own hair and make-up.  
  
Shooing Kaoru back, Misao opened the middle drawer on the left side of the counter. She fished around until she found a pair of chopsticks. They were read with a gold line spiraling up them.  
  
Dropping the chopsticks onto the counter, Misao unwrapped the white towel from her head and brushed her hair out. Her hair fell past her ass once it was completely brushed. Twisting her hair up into a messy bun, Misao secured it into place with the chopsticks.  
  
Finishing her hair by loosening wisps to frame her face, Misao exited the bathroom with Megumi and Kaoru on her heels.  
  
"Make sure you get the light, Kaoru," instructed Misao.  
  
Reaching back around the corner, Kaoru flipped the light switch.  
  
Black boots with three inch stiletto hells that reached just below the knees and zipped up the insides were added to the ensemble.  
  
To finish up the outfit, Misao grabbed the black cord hanging on her standing lamp. She wrapped the cord around her neck three times as a choker and tied it at the hollow in her throat. The excess cord hung down to just above her tube top.  
  
All three girls stood close together in front of the full length mirror to check their outfits.  
  
Kaoru wore a teal blue knee length skirt. There were large slits up both sides of her skirt. She wore white boots identical to Misao's and a white one-shoulder shirt that bared her belly button. A tiny silver hoop adorned her belly button with matching hoops in her ears in a bigger size. A teal ribbon was tied around her throat with streamers trailing down her back. Her hair was in high pigtails. They were tied with ribbons also matching her skirt. The pigtails were each one giant spiral curl on each side. All her make-up matched her skirt.  
  
Megumi wore black, skin-tight leather pants with a purple top. It was a baby tee that bared over two inches of her flat stomach. The neck was a deep v-neck that revealed deep cleavage and the sleeves were split up to the shoulder. It was made of gauzy material. Her make-up was all shades of purple. She had two-inch platform shoes. Her hair had been straightened to hang down to her waist. Purple chandelier earrings were halfway hidden by her layers of hair.  
  
When the girls decided they were satisfied with their appearances, they headed for the door. Misao grabbed her leather jacket off the coat rack while Megumi and Kaoru retrieved theirs from the kitchen. Misao grabbed her keys, id, and a fifty from her purse and inserted them into her jacket pocket.  
  
Pulling the door open, Misao let Kaoru and Megumi exit. She followed them and removed her keys to lock the door.  
  
As the girls headed for the stairs, Misao put her keys back into her pocket. They hurried down the two flights of stairs to the first floor and exited Misao's apartment building.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone. Well, this idea came to me from a dream I had after my friend suggested we go to an under 21 club when we go visit her dad this summer. The girls aren't under 21, but it's just the whole idea of clubbing. I know I haven't really worked on any of my other stories, but I'm going to get this whole story done and then start work on the others. It may take a while since I'm babysitting, mowing, etc. this summer, but I'll work on it. I wrote most of this in the past two days when I took the kids to the pool and then while they were watching a movie. It should only be about five chapters long. Hope you enjoyed.  
  
moondust-angel  
  
p.s.-I'm looking for an editor if anyone would be interested. Just leave a note in your review or email me.  
  
REVIEW! 


	2. Cosmopolitans All Around

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.  
  
A real quick note about the first chapter: I realize that Kaoru's outfit could be considered little girlish, but that's the way I wanted it. She's very innocent in my eyes so even when doing something like clubbing, it carries over a little. Make sense?  
  
6/10/04

* * *

Walking the two blocks, the friends approached Liquid Ice, their favorite club. A line streamed down the block and around the corner, but they just directed themselves towards the bouncer at the door.  
  
"Hey, Wolf!" hollered Megumi.  
  
The bouncer turned his golden eyes towards the familiar voice. "What do you want, Fox?"  
  
"How 'bout a lil favor?" Misao pouted, putting on her innocent face.  
  
"For you, Weasel? That's only more incentive to say no," he fired back.  
  
"Asshole," she murmured.  
  
"Please, Saitoh?" Kaoru begged. "It's not like the guys are with us."  
  
Kaoru referred to her boyfriend, Kenshin, and Megumi's boyfriend, Sanosuke. Misao never brought the same guy more than once, so Saitoh never had a chance to begin a grudge.  
  
"Just go," Saitoh ordered as he pulled the rope back to let them in. "And no more telling Tokio that I caused you problems."  
  
"Sure thing, asshole." Misao ushered Megumi and Kaoru inside and headed to the coat room. With a smile, she passed her jacket in and continued on her way.  
  
"To start the evening, a round of drinks, on me," Kaoru announced.  
  
"YAY!" Misao cheered as Megumi led them to the bar.  
  
"Hey Tokio!" Misao go her cousin's attention and found them stools at the bar.  
  
"Hey, girls! What can I get you?"  
  
"How about Cosmopolitans to kick off a girls' night out? And one for the bartender as well," Megumi suggested.  
  
"Gotcha," Tokio replied with a wink. She disappeared, but soon returned with four giant Cosmopolitans.  
  
"Cheers, gals," Tokio said.  
  
"Cheers," three voices echoed.  
  
Glasses clinked and all four downed their drinks.

* * *

I realize that that was a very short chapter, but I really couldn't think of more to add and the next part belongs in the next chapter. I already have a great start on chapter 3, so have patience with me. I may even be able to get it out today too. If not by then, I should have it up by the end of the weekend. crosses fingers  
  
A quick note: Misao is the one calling Saitoh an asshole. As long there is no one indicated as calling Saitoh an asshole, it'll be Misao. Only other way I wouldn't identify who is speaking is if it is an explicate conversation. I hope that makes sense.  
  
I forgot the disclaimer on the first chapter, so let's just go with the one from this chapter is for both.  
  
Thanks for reading.  
  
moondust-angel

REVIEW !!!!!!


	3. U Got It Bad

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. I also do not own either song used in this chapter.  
  
The rating may change for the next chapter. And if anyone thinks it needs to change for this chapter let me know.  
  
6/11/04

* * *

"Viable options anyone?" Megumi questioned, scoping out the guys in the club.  
  
"None for me," Misao answered, "but definitely something you should see over there."  
  
Following the finger Misao was pointing with, Megumi spotted familiar, spiky brown hair.  
  
"Sano!" she seethed. "Retarded rooster head. How could you?"  
  
"What's wrong, Megumi?" Kaoru questioned as she joined the conversation.  
  
"It looks like rooster head and Kenshin didn't stay in like they were going to." Megumi indicated the aforementioned guys with a nod of her head.  
  
"Shall we?" Kaoru offered with a deadly glint in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, we shall alright," Megumi answered with an edge to her voice.  
  
Both Kaoru and Megumi vacated their barstools.  
  
"Guess it's down to me and you," Misao offhandedly mentioned to Tokio.  
  
"Try more like it's down to you. Sorry, doll."  
  
Blowing Misao a kiss, Tokio moved on to serve other people.  
  
"Well, well, well. Another girls' night out and guess who ends up alone. Again."  
  
"Do you talk to yourself often?" questioned a deep voice to Misao's right.  
  
Misao swiveled right on her stool to stare into icy blue eyes. A handsome man had seated himself on Kaoru's stool and was staring at her. He had black hair that fell into his beautiful eyes. A white trench coat was worn over his black pants and royal blue shirt. The top three buttons of his shirt were left undone so Misao caught a glimpse of his muscular chest.  
  
"Well?" Impatience showed in his eyes, but not on his face.  
  
"What? Oh." Misao blushed, realizing she had been staring and hadn't answered his question.  
  
"No, I don't, thank you very much. It's just......pause my friends abandoned me after dragging me out tonight."  
  
"Poor thing," he said without much sympathy. He rapped his knuckles on the bar twice.  
  
Tokio came to see what was needed, surprised to see this man talking with Misao. "What can I do ya for?"  
  
"Two scotch, one dry," the mystery man ordered, trailing off, and looked towards Misao.  
  
"On the rocks," she filled in.  
  
"And the other on the rocks," he finished.  
  
Tokio disappeared to get their drinks, all the while keeping her eye on the two. 'I'll have to ask Saitoh about him.'  
  
Tokio returned with the couple's drinks. "Here ya are."  
  
"Thanks..." Misao said. She had barely noticed Tokio because she was too involved in capturing every detail about her mysterious new friend.  
  
Rolling her eyes, Tokio made herself scarce.  
  
"Bottoms up," he intoned.  
  
Both sipped their drinks after an initial first gulp. Silence reigned for about fifteen minutes.  
  
'I......can't......stand......quiet!' Misao cleared her throat, gaining the man's attention. "Misao," she stated, extending her hand.  
  
He grabbed her hand. "Aoshi," he replied and kissed her hand. A light pink blush painted her features at his romantic gesture.  
  
_Teen drinking is very bad  
yo i got a fake id though  
yeeah, yeeah,yo, 2 step wit me, 2 step wit me  
_  
"Oh! I love this song!" Misao exclaimed.  
  
"Well, then. Let's dance."  
  
_1, here comes the 2 to the 3 to the 4  
everybody drunk out on the dance floor  
babygirl ass jiggle like she want more,  
like she a groupie and i aint even on tour  
maybe cause she heard that i rhme hard core  
maybe that heard that i buy out the stores  
bottom of the 9th in the series gotta score  
if i gotta move on to the next floor  
here comes the 3 to the 2 to the 1  
somebody trippin he dont know i gotta gun  
when it comes to pop man do this for fun  
you ant got one nigga you betta run  
now im in the back gettin head from a hun  
while she goin down i breakin down what i done  
she smokin my stuff sayin she aint havin fun  
chick give it back now you aint gettin none  
_  
Aoshi set his drink on the bar and removed Misao's from her hand to place by his. He grabbed her hand and with a gentle tug led her to the dance floor.  
  
_everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy, everybody in this bitch gettin  
tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
_  
Prodding their way onto the dance floor, Misao let Aoshi lead the way. His 6'3" height easily split crowds. He towered over her height of 5', but her three inch shoes made her only a foot shorter than him.  
  
_2, comes the 3 to the 4 to the 5,  
now im lookin at shorty right in the eye  
couple seconds passed now im lookin at her thighs  
while she tellin me how much she hated her guy  
she said she got a kid but she got her tubes tied  
if you 21 girl thats all right  
i wonder if a shake comin with them fries  
if so baby can i get em super sized  
here comes the 4 to the 3 to the 2  
she started feelin on my johnson right out the blue  
girl you super thick so im thinkin that koo  
bit instead of one lifestyle i need 2  
her eyes got big when she glanced at my jewels  
expression on her face like she aint got a clue  
and she told me she dont run with a crew  
you know how i do but i guess why i gotta do  
_  
Finding a small spot, Aoshi pulled Misao to him. Her back molded to his front as they began to move together in rhythm.  
  
_everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy, everybody in this bitch gettin  
tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
_  
Dancers surrounding them stopped to stare at the couple. No matter the differences between the two, they just seemed to fit perfectly with each other, their movements so graceful.  
  
_3, here comes the 4 to the 5 to the 6  
self explanatory i aint gotta say im rich  
this single man aint tryna get hitched  
nigga waste it on me man son of a bitch  
brushed it all off now im back to gettin lit  
grisa orange juice man this is some good ish  
homebody trippin cause im starin at his chick  
now he on the side line starin at my clique  
here comes the 5 to the 4 to the 3  
hands in the air if you cats drunk as me  
club on the set kwon cut out them trees  
dude i dont care im a p.i.m.p  
_  
Aoshi's hands wrapped possessively around the tiny girl's stomach, her hands moving to hold his in place.  
  
_everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy, everybody in this bitch gettin  
tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
now everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
everybody in this bitch gettin tipsy  
_  
The song ended to be replaced by slow song. Their bodies slowed to match the beat of this new song.  
  
_Oh, no, no, no, no, no...  
When you feel it in your body  
You found somebody who makes you change your ways  
Like hanging with your crew  
Said you act like you're ready  
But you don't really know  
And everything in your past - you wanna let it go  
_  
Aoshi dipped his head to brush his lips across the front of her neck.  
  
_I've been there, done it, fucked around  
After all that - this is what I found  
Nobody wants to be alone  
If you're touched by the words in this song  
Then baby...  
_  
She arched her neck and allowed her head to fall against his chest.  
  
Understanding her unvoiced request, he again leaned forward and placed his lips against her neck. Aoshi began to cover her neck in butterfly kisses.  
  
_ U got, u got it bad  
When you're on the phone  
Hang up and you call right back  
U got, u got it bad  
If you miss a day without your friend  
Your whole life's off track  
You know you got it bad when you're stuck in the house  
You don't wanna have fun  
It's all you think about  
U got it bad when you're out with someone  
But you keep on thinkin' bout somebody else  
U got it bad  
_  
Misao turned to face Aoshi, begging him with her eyes.  
  
Without a second thought he leaned down and captured her lips with his own.  
  
_When you say that you love 'em  
And you really know  
Everything that used to matter, don't matter no more  
Like my money, all my cars  
(You can have it all back)  
Flowers, cards and candy  
(I do it just cause I'm...)  
Said I'm fortunate to have you girl  
I want you to know  
I really adore you  
All my people who know what's going on  
Look at your mate, help me sing my song  
Tell her I'm your man, you're my girl  
I'm gonna tell it to the whole wide world  
Ladies say I'm your girl, you're my man  
Promise to love you the best I can  
_  
Aoshi pulled back and looked at Misao. She smiled up at him, her whole face glowing.  
  
_See I've been there, done it, fucked around  
After all that - this is what I found  
Everyone of y'all are just like me  
It's too bad that you can't see  
That you got it bad...hey  
_  
The tiniest of smiles covered his lips, showing mostly in his eyes, as he leaned down to kiss her again.  
  
_U got, u got it bad  
When you're on the phone  
Hang up and you call right back  
U got, u got it bad  
If you miss a day without your friend  
Your whole life's off track  
You know you got it bad when you're stuck in the house  
You don't wanna have fun  
It's all you think about  
U got it bad when you're out with someone  
But you keep on thinkin' bout somebody else  
U got it bad  
  
_His tongue caressed her bottom lip, seeking entry into her mouth. Her lips opened of their own accord and his tongue entered her mouth. His hands came up to rest on each side of her face.  
  
_U got, u got it bad  
When you're on the phone  
Hang up and you call right back  
U got, u got it bad  
If you miss a day without your friend  
Your whole life's off track  
You know you got it bad when you're stuck in the house  
You don't wanna have fun  
It's all you think about  
U got it bad when you're out with someone  
But you keep on thinkin' bout somebody else  
U got it bad  
_  
They pulled apart as the song ended, both gasping for air.  
  
Aoshi looked into Misao's eyes for a second before making a decision. He grabbed her hand and led her toward the exit, only stopping long enough to get her jacket.

* * *

The songs are: Tipsy by J-Kwon and U Got It Bad by Usher. All the spelling mistakes were there on the website where I found the song and I wasn't sure if I sure correct them or not, so I didn't. I realize that the lyrics are a bit long in spots, but to me the songs seemed to fit.  
  
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter too. I'm rather surprised that I'm going to get it out the day after the first two.  
  
With the interaction between Misao and Aoshi, I really have no experience with some of this so I'm just playing it by ear. A lot of what's there I've picked up from stuff I've read on fanfic.net and off. I've also pick up a lot from listening to my friends, not that I wanted to hear part of it. So, I really hope it sounds okay because I have no clue.  
  
Though it seems to be leading to a lemon in the next chapter, there is no way I could write one so there won't be. I suppose I'll be stopping at a good point and letting everyone imagine the rest. The only other way to get around that is if someone else was to write it, but I have no clue who. If I get offers from people to do such, I'd except but I don't think that will happen.  
  
Well, that's all I can think of at the moment and I really need to go. I put off my house work so I could write this and if I don't get it done my mom will be pissed. And I leave for work in 45 minutes, so let's hope I can get a lot accomplished in a small amount of time or I may be grounded from the computer. Thanks for reading.  
  
REVIEW! 


	4. Kiss of the Dragon

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. I also do not own either movie mentioned in this chapter.  
  
I think I might have found a half way decent way around the lemon. I know it may be considered corny, but what can I say. I hope everyone likes it.  
  
6/22/04

* * *

As they exited the club, Saitoh started. He was surprised to see the two together.  
  
"Sayonara, asshole. Tell your wife to expect a phone call tomorrow."  
  
Aoshi sent a confused look towards Saitoh, but shook it off and propelled Misao towards the curb with a hand on her lower back.  
  
He raised his other hand to hail a cab, but Misao pulled his hand back down and pulled him along with her. "Follow me," she said.  
  
"But, where are we going?" Aoshi asked.  
  
"My place," was her simple answer.  
  
As they walked, Misao began to shiver from the cool breeze. The jacket she wore just wasn't enough.  
  
An arm wrapped around Misao, providing more warmth. Aoshi brought her closer with his arm, shielding her somewhat from the breeze.  
  
They quickly walked the two blocks and Misao guided him to the elevator.  
  
She pushed the up button and the doors opened almost immediately. 'I guess getting in at midnight does have its advantages,' Misao thought, hitting the button for the third floor.  
  
The ride to the third floor was completed in silence. It was comfortable, though.  
  
The doors dinged and slid open. Misao exited the elevator followed by Aoshi. She went to her door and unlocked it. Stepping back, she let Aoshi precede her inside. She flipped the light switch just inside the door on and instructed him in how to reach the living room from the front hall as she emptied her jacket pocket and returned her jacket to its hook.  
  
Aoshi placed his trench coat over her jacket and headed towards the living room as she refilled her purse.  
  
'What am I doing' Misao thought as she finished placing stuff inside her purse. 'I don't even know him and I brought him to my place. I'm such a fool!'  
  
She leaned against the hall table to gather her wits. Sighing, she stood and headed towards the living room.  
  
Entering the room, she was surprised with what she found. Aoshi had removed his shoes and settled in on the sofa. His feet were propped up on the coffee table and the TV remote was in his hand.  
  
Aoshi was searching for something decent to watch. He knew she wasn't ready. Hell, neither of them was.  
  
Surfing through the channels, Aoshi caught sight of Kiss of the Dragon. Backtracking, he found the channel and left it there.  
  
Misao had not moved since entering the room. Aoshi motioned her over and pulled her onto his lap. Misao removed her shoes and curled up on his lap with her head resting on his shoulder.  
  
They had only missed the first five minutes or so of the movie, so they settled in to watch it.  
  
During the second commercial break, Misao went to the kitchen and retrieved a couple of Pepsis and some kettle corn. She returned and placed everything on the coffee table.  
  
"I'm going to change out of these clothes. If you'd like to change too, my roommate, who just moved out, still has some clothes here."  
  
As Misao turned to leave, Aoshi got up and followed her. Bypassing the first door on the left, Misao led him to the second one and turned on the light.  
  
"He was about the same height as you, so the clothes should fit."  
  
Misao turned around and headed back to the first door. She entered and gently closed the door.  
  
Aoshi entered and headed for the dresser across the room. He opened the second drawer. This drawer contained shirts. Finding a black long sleeve shirt, he traded his blue shirt for it.  
  
Reaching for the next drawer down, Aoshi found it contained shorts. He pulled out a pair of khaki cargos from the midst of the drawer. He traded the black pants for the shorts and removed his socks.  
  
Aoshi left his clothes lay on the bed and exited the room, flipping the light switch as he left.  
  
He stopped at the door Misao had entered. With a quiet tap, Aoshi accidentally pushed the door part way open. Inside, he saw Misao struggling to unzip her top.  
  
Aoshi silently walked forward and unzipped the shirt for her.  
  
Misao jumped at the feel of a hand on her back, but calmed realizing it was Aoshi.  
  
As soon as it was unzipped, Misao's shirt fell and revealed her lacy, black bra. Her whole face flushed in embarrassment. 'Oh my god...'  
  
'She is so adorable like that,' he thought. Planting a kiss on her nose, Aoshi turned and left. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against the opposite wall while waiting.  
  
A few seconds later, Misao slipped out her door and stood across from Aoshi. Her gaze was focused on the floor and her face was still a deep red. "Um....s....s....sorry," she stuttered out, clearly embarrassed.  
  
Aoshi placed a hand under her chin, pushing Misao's face up and forcing her to look at him. She tried to divert her gaze, but he wouldn't let her. "Why are you apologizing?" he questioned.  
  
Her only answer was a shrug.  
  
"Please, don't apologize without reason. There's no reason to now. Please, don't. Don't apologize, don't be embarrassed. Please?"  
  
Misao nodded in reply.  
  
He let go of her chin and pulled her into a hug. She willingly went, wrapping her arms around his torso. He brushed a hand over her hair, while keeping his other firmly around her waist.  
  
He released her and took in her attire. She wore a pair of pajama pants and a spaghetti strap tank top. The pants were plaid with white, gray, and many shades of blue. She wore a dark blue tank to match. About two inches of her stomach showed. The make-up was gone and her hair was down. 'She looks even more beautiful without the make-up.'  
  
The couple returned to the living room hand in hand. Aoshi led Misao to the couch and sat down. Misao curled up in his lap after retrieving the popcorn.  
  
Though they had missed fifteen minutes of their movie, both had seen it before and weren't lost.  
  
Sometime before the end of the movie, Misao had fallen asleep. Aoshi didn't realize it until the end of the movie when she didn't answer his question.  
  
She had fallen asleep with a death-grip on the popcorn bowl. He had to pry the bowl from her fingers.  
  
Not willing to wake her so he could leave, Aoshi began to watch Swimfan. The movie had started immediately after Kiss of the dragon. He had missed the beginning trying to wake Misao, but, as he wasn't truly paying attention, it didn't matter.  
  
Aoshi drifted to sleep sometime after two and wouldn't wake until morning.

* * *

Taking my kids I babysit to the pool sure does have its advantages. I get plenty of free time to write this way. They swim and leave me alone and I get my writing down. The only bad thing is when it starts to rain and everything gets wet. I hate water spots on paper, but it's not like it will kill anything. I can still read what I wrote so it's okay.  
  
Since I'm getting all this writing time, I should have another chapter out soon. I think I know where I want to go with this, but I may get stuck. I will only be concentrating on this story until it is done, so hopefully that will help me get chapters out faster.  
  
Again, I hope everyone liked this chapter. I think it turned out pretty good, but I may be biased about my own writing. Please REVIEW! And I'm still looking for an editor if anyone is interested. Thanks.


	5. Breakfast For Two

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.  
  
My author's notes are at the end of the chapter with answer to reviews following. Be sure to read all of it, please. Reviews are for every chapter since I had not answered any reviews yet. Thanks for reading and enjoy.  
  
7/26/04

* * *

Sunlight drifted in through the window, gently touching the face of the man on the couch.  
  
His eyes twitched and he tried to roll away from the offending light, but found that impossible. Lying on his back, he had tried to turn on his side, facing the couch, but couldn't because of the girl lying on his stomach.  
  
Her head rested on his chest with his arms wrapped around her waist. Her hands were holding his in place.  
  
Finding himself unable to roll over, Aoshi cracked one eye. Noticing his unfamiliar surroundings, he began to stiffen.  
  
Aoshi's memories from the night before came rushing back. Her name was Misao. They met at Liquid Ice. He slept over at her house. Nothing happened. 'Oh, thank God!' As he realized this, Aoshi began to relax.  
  
Sitting up, Aoshi cradled Misao in his lap. He leaned back against the couch and held her comfortably.  
  
Soaking in the peace and quiet, he watched Misao sleep and listened to her light breathing.  
  
Misao began to stir, but tried to bury her head in Aoshi's chest.  
  
A deep chuckle rumbled around in Aoshi's chest, disturbing Misao's sleep even more. Misao raised her eyes to glare at Aoshi for disturbing her.  
  
"Some people are trying to sleep around here!" Misao exclaimed, softly.  
  
Aoshi chuckled a little more, waking Misao up a little more until she was completely awake.  
  
Misao stuck her tongue out at Aoshi and grinned. "That wasn't fair!" she jokingly whined.  
  
"Good morning to you too," Aoshi smarted back.  
  
Misao crawled off Aoshi's lap and headed for the kitchen.  
  
"Ya know, I could sure use some help," Misao hollered back to Aoshi after a few minutes.  
  
Aoshi smirked and finally got off the couch. He had been waiting for that comment.  
  
On the way to the kitchen, Aoshi got lost a couple of times. One time, he opened the door to a closet and, the next; he walked into the laundry room.  
  
Finally making it to the kitchen, Aoshi just observed Misao for the first few minutes. When she slipped on some spilt pancake batter, Aoshi rushed forward to catch her.  
  
As Misao slipped, she accidentally threw the spatula in her hand. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for impact with the floor. When Misao never hit the floor, she opened her eyes in surprise.  
  
She was staring directly into Aoshi's eyes. One of his muscular arms was wrapped around her back and his other hand was holding the spatula she had thrown.  
  
"Um...thanks?"  
  
Unemotionally, Aoshi set her back on her feet and began to continue her work on breakfast. He turned the pancakes, stirred the eggs, and checked the tea pot on the stove.  
  
Misao, noticing that Aoshi had everything under control, plopped down on a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen. She watched him make the breakfast she had started and called out instructions as to where utensils were when he asked.  
  
After a good twenty minutes, breakfast was completed. After watching Aoshi cook for a while, Misao had set two places at the island, complete with napkins and drinks.  
  
Aoshi stole both plates and heaped them with food while Misao poured the tea for both of them. She also retrieved a tall glass of milk to go with her breakfast.  
  
Sitting down, Aoshi simply sat there and stared at his food. "Do you often just stare at your food?" Misao quipped. Silence greeted her in reply. "Hello? Earth to Aoshi." Misao began waving a hand in front of his face.  
  
With swift reflexes, Aoshi captured her wrist, stopping all movements of her hand. He turned and stared at her. "Syrup?" he questioned. "Ooo! Damn! I knew I was forgetting something," Misao said. Hopping up, she obtained the syrup from a cabinet.  
  
Resuming her seat, she passed Aoshi the syrup. He added the syrup to his pancakes and began to consume the meal he had just prepared. Misao claimed the syrup next, drenched her pancakes with it, and dug in.  
  
So the morning went, with Misao oblivious to the fact that she was far later for work than she had ever been.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES Well, that took longer than I thought it would to write. I wrote it a couple times and was not pleased with it at all so I waited to post it until I wrote something I was satisfied with.  
  
I can't believe that school starts in about 3 weeks. I can't believe this summer has gone by so fast. I hope to have at least one more chapter out before we head back to school. I will be happy to be done with babysitting for the summer. A little warning though; I'll be a senior and being the idiot I am, I'm in pretty much the hardest classes offered. I've been told that I will have so much homework it isn't even funny, so my writing be slowed way down if not all together stopped during the school year. I'm hoping that this won't be true. But, I have this feeling that because of my honors English class, all the writing I'll be doing will be for that class.  
  
Again, I hope everyone liked this chapter. I think it turned out pretty good, but I may be biased about my own writing. Please REVIEW! And I'm still looking for an editor if anyone is interested. Thanks.

* * *

REVIEWS  
  
I'm really sorry that this is the first time I have answered reviews.  
  
First off, I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing:  
  
Supreme Neo slytherin Countess  
Minsada  
A.K.  
InuFan17  
Sin  
KenshinLover45  
len  
erica  
gaby (hyatt  
am1289  
  
Thanks so much everyone. Your reviews have meant a lot to me. And, so far, I have yet to have a flame. Yay! I just hope I haven't spoken too soon.  
  
Now for the other reviews I want to answer.  
  
**Zerianyu**: I'm surprised, number one, that this fic doesn't seem rushy like the rest of mine and, number two, that an author whose work I admire so much has read my story. But, thank you and hope you continue to enjoy it.  
  
**Neross-qod**: Thanks for the concern. Mostly, I'm just there to referee any fights and take them places. They are both old enough to take care of themselves. I just try to know where they are from time to time, which is what their mom told me to do.  
  
**Misao-The-Weasel**: The dated chapters really were because I always want to know how much time there was between updates. I understand that it helps. I've went to read a few stories that hadn't been updated in a while and wasn't sure what chapters I had read and what ones I hadn't.  
  
**AngelsAngel**: I was probably just as worried about the lemon. I had no clue what I was going to do about it. I was SO glad when I got an idea of how to get past that.  
  
**kitty-jinxx**: I love those movies so much! And the songs! Not only did they seem fitting for the chapter, but I absolutely loved both.  
  
**Misao Mei Mei**: Wow! An request to submit my story to a website. I was rather surprised by this. I would love to do so and sorry I haven't yet. There have been problems with our internet about it only pulls up certain pages and then I was grounded from the computer, but everything's working now and I'm definitely not grounded. I'll try to get it taken care of a.s.a.p.


	6. How About Some Tea?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.  
  
Well, I think I made Aoshi OOC in this chapter more so than normal. I just really can't believe that I have chapter six so soon after chapter five. And, I even have a little filler chapter for chapter 7 to lead into chapter 8. I am sorry if the attitude in the chapter changes part way through, but I wrote part of this Friday night and was on FIRE, but then Saturday was awful and I wasn't so inspired and had problems getting it out. I think it started to flow again later on.  
  
8/2/04

* * *

Finishing breakfast at nine o'clock, together they washed the dishes and returned to the living room.  
  
This time, Misao picked the show. Surfing through the channels, she couldn't find anything decent. Eventually, she stumbled across some cartoons.  
  
Aoshi settled on the left end of the couch and made himself comfortable. Misao only watched and once he was done, she began to create the "perfect spot." Grabbing a throw pillow from a chair, Misao plopped in the middle of the room let. She threw her feet up and onto Aoshi's lap and used the right side armrest to put her pillow against.  
  
A new show was just beginning.  
  
An hour and two episodes of Cowboy Bebop later  
  
The phone began to ring just as the second Cowboy Bebop ended.  
  
Glancing at Aoshi, she saw he was once again sleeping. Misao quickly grabbed the phone before it woke him.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
::Ms. Makimachi?::  
  
"Yes?"  
  
::This is Frank Travis from Tokyo Blooms. Are you aware that you were supposed to be at work by seven o'clock this morning? You are now three hours late for work. I am sorry to inform you, but you will be on probation for the next month. At the end of the month, the decision will be re-evaluated.::  
  
Misao choked backed tears and listened as the man continued.  
  
::We are very sorry for this, but it is standard procedure. You will need to come to work on time tomorrow. Be prepared to stay after for a meeting with your boss.  
  
"Okay..." Misao answered, her voice quivering.  
  
::Thank you, Ms. Makimachi. Enjoy the rest of your day.::  
  
"Good-bye," Misao said.  
  
Turning off the cordless phone, Misao set it on the coffee table. Sinking into a chair, she began to cry in earnest.  
  
Hiccupping sobs broke through the peace of Aoshi's nap, awakening him.  
  
Swiftly wakening, he realized it was Misao crying. Softly getting up, he moved to kneel in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry into his chest.  
  
Aoshi rubbed her back comfortingly until her sobs quieted.  
  
"I'm sorry," Misao mumbled.  
  
Aoshi did not reply except to give her a light squeeze. He never muttered a word, just waited in silence.  
  
"I forgot I had to work today," Misao explained, her tears starting anew. "I'm on probation at work and I have a meeting with my boss after work tomorrow."  
  
"It will be alright."  
  
Misao's tears once again subsided with the assurances of her new friend. Pulling away from him, she headed to the bathroom in search of a Kleenex.

* * *

Aoshi wandered into the kitchen while Misao was gone. Grabbing the tea kettle from the drainer, he dried it the rest of the way. He set the kettle o the stove after filling it close to the brim with water. Placing the lid on he began to heat the water.

* * *

Misao grabbed a Kleenex upon entering the bathroom and happened to glance in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red.  
  
Misao plugged the sink and filled it with cool water. She pulled up her hair while she waited.  
  
Turning off the water once there was enough, she cupped her hands and dipped them in the water. She pulled her hands out of the water as she lowered her face. Closing her eyes, she splashed her face with the water.  
  
Repeating this process a few times, Misao grabbed the hand towel off the rack. She patted her face dry and looked in the mirror again. The puffiness and redness had been drastically reduced.  
  
Misao let the water out and hung the towel back up before exiting the bathroom.

* * *

Aoshi grabbed the tea cups out of the drainer and set tem on the island. Next, he grabbed the saucers, tea pot, and spoons to go with the cups.

Opening a couple cabinets, Aoshi searched for some tea. On his fourth try, he came across some green tea.

He pulled it out and set it on the island as the teapot began to whistle.

* * *

As Misao reentered the living room, she heard the shrill whistle of her tea kettle. Changing her course, she headed towards the kitchen.

Aoshi made the green tea and poured it into the teapot. He took a seat on one of the stools, readying everything for tea.

* * *

Misao entered the kitchen to see Aoshi sitting at the island with a pot of green tea. Her nice tea set was laid out, waiting for them to begin.

She approached the island and took a seat. Grabbing the teapot, she carefully poured tea for the both of them.

The couple drank in silence, sipping at the scalding hot tea. Misao refilled the cups once they were both empty. She poured half a cup for herself and emptied the rest into Aoshi's cup, giving him a full cup.

Again, they drank in silence. Even after they finished, Aoshi and Misao continued to sit there.

"Thank you," Misao whispered. She leaned over and wrapped her amrs around Aoshi's neck. He wrapped one arm around Misao's torso, pulling her closer.


	7. Goodbye For Now

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.  
  
Wow, updating the day after the previous update. It must be a miracle. Lol. I hope you like this one. Expect it to be short. It's only a filler chapter to get me to where I want to be with the next one. And to think, I said this was going to be about five chapters long. I'm already going on seven and I know there will probably be quite a few more chapters. School starts soooo soon! Why?! cries I'm not ready to be a senior!  
8/3/04

* * *

"Go ahead and keep the clothes. Shiro won't mind," Misao told Aoshi. They were standing by the door to her apartment. Aoshi's folded clothes from the night before were in his hand and he was still wearing Shiro's shirt and shorts. Misao had dressed after finishing tea.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Oh, um...here," Misao choked out, reaching for a pad of paper and a pen. She quickly scribbled her number down and tore out the page. "Just in case you ever, ya know, wanna hang out...or something..." Misao explained.  
  
Misao handed Aoshi the page and tossed the pad of paper back onto the hall table.  
  
Aoshi flipped open the paper and refolded it before sticking it in his pocket. Before Misao could rid herself of the pen too, Aoshi stole it.  
  
"Here," Aoshi said, holding his hand out after uncapping the pen. Misao placed her hand in his open one and he turned it so it was palm up. Aoshi turned it so it was palm up. Aoshi wrote his number on her hand and kissed her palm before leaving.  
  
"Good-bye. . . for now." And with that, he was gone.  
  
Misao was in shock. 'He gave me his number. HE GAVE ME HIS NUMBER!'  
  
"Good-bye," she whispered to the now-empty doorway.

* * *

Looking back on this, I realize that there is even more Aoshi OOC-ness than I thought there was. Sadly, it bothers me, but I like it that way at the same time so. . . . .who knows. Hope you liked this chapter and please REVIEW.  
  
If you have any suggestions, I'd gladly like to hear them.  
  
Also, I'm looking for an editor. I think I'm catching most of the mistakes and stuff, but I really have no clue if stuff flows or anything. Plus, I always like a second opinion on my new chapter before I post it. 


	8. Phone Calls and Unexpected Dinner Plans

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

I AM ON FIRE! lol I wanted to update twice before school starts and this is my third update with another chapter half way written. But, the scariest part is, I only planned for this story to be five chapters long and I'm already on chapter eight with no end in sight. I have no clue how long it will take to finish this story. Well, read on and expect more author's notes at the end. Enjoy!

midnight song

ps-the numbers through out the fic are where I had some insane/cute author's comments to make or info for the reader so if you want to read them they are with the ending an's and are marked accordingly. I've just had complaints before about them taking away from the story so I moved them.

" "-talking

' '-thinking

:: ::person on opposite end of phone conversation

8/11/04

* * *

Misao spent the rest of the day cleaning. She had to do something to keep her mind off of tomorrow's events.

She started with the kitchen. Then, she cleaned the living room, her room, and the bathroom. She worked straight through lunch.

Finally, around five o'clock, Misao collapsed on the couch. Just laying there, she stayed until she drifted to sleep.

RING! RING!

For the second day in a row, Misao was awakened by the sound of a phone.

Opting to stay put, she tried to ignore the phone.

'It better not be that stupid Fox again!'

RING! RING!

'But, what if......it's Aoshi? No way. But still!'

Misao shot up at that thought and raced for the phone.

"Hello?"

::Misao?::

"Aoshi? What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

::No:: 1

PAUSE

"Aoshi, if nothing's wrong, why did you call?"

::I wanted to make sure you were okay.:: 2

"Oh! I'm fine. Really, I am."

::Okay.::

"Thank you for calling to ask."

::Aa.:: 3

PAUSE 4

::Misao?::

"Yes?" she questioned hopefully.

::Where do you work?::

Misao's rising hope fell. Maybe he wasn't planning on asking her for a date.

"Tokyo Blooms."

Aoshi had noticed the excitement in her voice, but, now, it was gone. 'Maybe,' he thought, 'I shouldn't go through with it.'

::Aa......Good-bye.::

"Bye," said Misao, thoroughly disappointed. Seconds later she heard the dial tone.

Placing the phone on the coffee table, she headed towards her room.

Grabbing her pajamas off the still unmade bed, Misao quickly changed. She crawled onto the bed after turning out the lights. Using the remote on the nightstand, she switched her CD player on and set it to her favorite radio station.

Misao curled up on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Giving in, she cried herself to sleep.

The alarm clock began to go off at quarter till six. Misao dragged herself out of bed, hitting the off button of the alarm on the way to the bathroom.

She turned on the light and headed for the shower. Turning the tap on to heat the water, Misao shed her clothes.

Stepping into the shower, Misao washed her hair. Five minutes later, Misao turned off the water. She grabbed the towel thrown over the top of the shower door.

Drying off, Misao placed on her dark blue robe. She grabbed the white towel from the counter and wrapped her hair in it.

Exiting the bathroom, Misao headed towards the kitchen. Reaching the kitchen, she put on the tea kettle to heat.

Misao retrieved a cup and saucer from the cabinet along with her favorite tea mix.

She placed everything on the island and left the room for the bathroom. In the bathroom, she brushed out her hair.

Misao returned to the kitchen just in time to hear the kettle whistle.

Preparing her tea, Misao sat at the island. She grabbed the manga she had placed there the day before and sipped her tea as she read.

Glancing up to check the clock, Misao realized it was twenty after six. 'Shit!'

She jumped up, tossed down the book, and set her empty tea cup in the sink. Next, she emptied the kettle and set it back on the stove to finish cooling.

Hurrying into her bedroom, Misao grabbed her uniform out of the closet. She tossed it on the bed. She untied her robe and let it fall to the floor.

She quickly dressed in the uniform, which consisted of a green, yellow, and white plaid miniskirt with a yellow sweater-vest and a white button-up shirt underneath.

Hurrying into the bathroom, Misao brushed her teeth and threw her hair into a messy bun. 'Skip the make-up for today, I'll go to the dojo after work.'

Flipping off lights as she went, Misao grabbed her work-out bag in her room and headed to get her purse and coat. Grabbing both, she locked the door before leaving.

Misao practically ran for the bus stop at the corner. Reaching it, she dug into her purse, searching for her watch.

Her cell phone rang as she was securing the strap. Immediately fishing it out, she flipped it open after reading Satioh-san on the id.

"Hey, Tokio."

::Misao. Why didn't you call yesterday! Hajime said to expect your call.::

"I'm sorry, Tokio. Yesterday wasn't a great day."

::Why? Did something happen with your "mystery man"? Spill little cuz.::

"Nothing happened."

::Yeah......right. Sure.........I believe you.::

"Tokio, cut the crap. It's the truth."

::Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.::

As they conversed, Misao's bus pulled up. She boarded the bus with the rest of the passengers, flashing her bus pass to the driver.

"Why'd you really call, Tokio?"

::Hmmm......so you realized there was more to it than my expecting your call?::

"Slightly. So, spill, cuz," she said, mocking Tokio.

::Alright, you win. I got a phone call from my mom yesterday. Well, you know how protective my mom is of you since your mom, and dad, died.:: 5

"And?"

::And, she's getting into town tonight to visit for a week. She wants you to come to dinner the day after tomorrow.:: 6

"That's fine. It always is."

::That's not all.::

"Not all?"

::She wants you to bring a friend, a GUY friend. Hopefully, a boyfriend.::

* * *

Bad, bad me. It's such a bad place to leave off, BUT I promise the next chapter will be out before Monday. The next chapter is actually over half way written. It just needs finished and typed up. Monday, would be the day school starts. Joy, joy. rolls eyes At least, I'll be a senior. YAY! I even had my senior pictures done this morning. And only one more day of babysitting hell to go! That's my favorite part of school starting. Um, a little word of warning. I'll be talking an honors English class in which I will be doing a lot of writing. So, I may end up burnt out on writing. I'm hoping not, but this is essay stuff and that always makes me hate writing. Creative writing is great. I have fun with that, but at my high school we don't have that. cries I so wish we did. Enough about that.........Please REVIEW.

* * *

AN's

1. Don't we all love Misao's reaction? It's rather like her to overreact, especially when it comes to Aoshi. Look what love does to one. Hehe)

2. The Ice Block shows emotion!? faints Gotta love him. No, really, you have to. I demand it.

3. Now, THAT was more like Aoshi

4. I guess it would be hard to talk on the phone with Aoshi-sama. He's too quiet for his own good sometimes.

5. Their moms are/were sisters for this story.

6. They went clubbing Sunday night, she missed work Monday, and the current day is Tuesday. This would mean the dinner would be on Thursday.


	9. Tokyo Blooms: My Place of Work

**NOTE: I know I promised to have this out yesterday, but I could not access the internet. It kept on telling me that it couldn't find the server. So here it is. I didn't change a thing from when I went to upload it yesterday so it still has yesterday's date on it and everything. Happy reading.**

**midnight song**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Chapter nine and I'm actually getting it out when I say I will. That's a major improvement. Usually, I'm late getting chapters out. Of course, if my parents actually didn't obsess over only letting me on the computer for half an hour a day, I would probably get a lot more done. That and I'd probably be dating this one guy instead of just talking to him from time to time. Urgh...stupid parents. At least, during summer, I can be on any time I'm home throughout the day though I don't get stuff done. Too bad. It all boils down to being their fault.

Anyway, on to happier thoughts. School starts Monday. Okay, so that's not particularly happy either. I got new jeans. That's happy. Only one pair, but, hey, now I have to pairs of jeans and I don't have to live in one pair constantly. Nothing else happy, except for my skiing adventure that was on the 5th. I can water ski! And I got up on my first try ever! Oh, and I get to go on the 22nd, if not skiing then tubing. This ROCKS! lol

Please, read on and enjoy. This chapter picks up directly at the end of the previous chapter. If necessary, go read or re-read the ending. Thanks. I hope you'll leave a REVIEW!

midnight song

ps-the authors notes with the numbers system that I used in the last chapter still holds true. Read the author's notes at the beginning of the previous chapter if you don't remember.

8/15/04

* * *

"What?!"

Occupants of the bus turned to stare at Misao at her loud outburst.

::Hush, Misao! I know, and I'm sorry. Hajime and I were talking about you and Aoshi and she overheard us, mistaking him for your boyfriend.::

"First off, how do you know his name?" she hissed.

::Oh, Wolf's known him forever.::

"And if she's not getting into town until tonight, how did she manage to overhear you?"

::When we were on the phone, she suggested the dinner and asked if she should expect you to have a "male companion" or not. I covered the mouth piece with my hand when we discussed it, but my hand was not all the way over it.::

"Lovely."

::Look at it this way, she has no clue what he look like or what his name is. This way, it doesn't matter who you bring.::

"I'll figure something out. sigh I got to go. We're almost to my stop. Bye, Tokio."

::Bye, Misao. And don't worry too much, something will work out.::

Misao hung up her phone and placed it back into her purse. She got a firm grip on both bags, making sure she still had everything.

The bus screeched to a stop and Misao headed off.

Directly in front of her was Tokyo Blooms, her place of employment and her least favorite place in the world.

Stepping up to the glass door, she pushed it and entered, hearing the bell tinkle. Waving to her coworker at the desk, she aimed herself towards the back and the employee locker room.

Reaching the door, she stepped inside and headed for her locker. She opened the lock with her combination and the door swung open.

Misao placed her bag inside and her purse on the shelf. Tossing her tennis shoes she put on this morning in, she slipped on her white sandals with yellow flowers on them. Lastly, Misao retrieved her name tag and pinned it to her vest.

Misao clocked in and headed to the arrangements section of the store.

"Hey, Misao," Ayame said. Ayame was always at work half an hour before Misao. She was her best friend at work. Sometimes they would hang out outside of work, but there were more than just physical differences between Misao and the 5'7" blonde.

"Morning, Ayame. How many orders so far?" Misao questioned.

"Actually, as soon as I finish this arrangement," she said, nodding towards her current masterpiece of roses and baby's breath, "we're all caught up."

"Great!" Misao exclaimed, enthusiastic for once.

Just then, the telephone rang.

"Hello. Tokyo Blooms. This is Misao speaking. How can I help you?"

Misao took the order, filling out paper work for it.

"Thank you. Your arrangement should be ready by five o'clock this evening."

She began to gather supplies to fill the order. 'This is going to be a long day,' Misao thought.

* * *

The phone rang yet again in the arrangements department. Misao and Ayame were the only two in today and Misao had just left to go get more pink roses, so it was up to Ayame to answer the phone.

"Hello. Tokyo Blooms. How can I help you?" Ayame said, reaching for yet another new order form.

"Ayame? Good. It's Suzume." Suzume was in charge of the front desk and forwarding calls to the correct section.

"Look, Ayame, I think you might want to field this call."

"Okay, Suzume. Thanks."

888888Phone Call888888

"Hello. This is Ayame speaking."

::Hello. I was wondering if I could find out Makimachi Misao's work schedule today.:: 1

"Well, that certainly is an unusual request. May I ask as to why you are interested in such information?"

::Ms. Makimachi is a friend of mine.::

"Oh. And your name is?"

::Shinomori Aoshi.::

"Strange, I've never heard her mention you before."

::We became acquainted just recently. Look, I'd tell you to ask her, but I want to surprise her.::

"Look, Aoshi, I'll make you a deal. I will try to get you brought up in casual conversation. If she doesn't mention you by the end of her shift, I tell her about this phone call."

::Fair enough.::

"Misao starts at seven a.m. and gets off at three p.m."

::Thank you.::

"You're welcome. Have a nice day."

::Aa...::

888888End Phone Call888888

As Ayame hung up the phone, Misao finally made her return.

"Not another order!" she whined.

"No, it was just Suzume. So, Misao, not to change the subject, but what have you been up to. And why did you miss work yesterday?" Ayame asked.

"Oh, God," Misao sighed.

"That bad?"

"Pretty much. Sunday night, Megumi called late and I somehow ended up going clubbing with her and Kaoru. Then, they abandoned me when they saw their boyfriends. Later, this guy sat by me and we ended up leaving together......"

"What?!" Ayame interrupted her.

"Nothing happened. sigh We watched a movie, fell asleep on the couch, and had breakfast in the morning," Misao explained.

"Are you serious?" Ayame asked.

"Yeah," Misao replied.

"What was his name?"

"Aoshi."

"The rest of his name would be..." Ayame said, trailing off at the end.

"I'm not sure," Misao timidly spoke.

"That would be because?" Ayame angrily shot back.

"Because either I forgot or I never knew," spat Misao.

"Misao, do you know how stupid you are! You knew practically nothing about him, yet left with him anyway. Then, never even found out his entire name. The least you could have done was found out a last name instead of a first!" Ayame yelled. She knew she had to react how Misao would expect her to or Misao would realize something was up.

"I'm sorry! I know! And, I wish I did know his last name. It's not like I even meant for this to happen. All I was supposed to do was go out with the girls and go home so I could come to work. Instead, I got abandoned, met a stranger-who I happen to like- and missed a day of work!" Misao's voice rose to match Ayame's tone.

Hearing Misao, Ayame knew she had to back off. She already knew what she needed to and that's what really mattered.

Ayame's voice dropped as she said, "Sorry, I just worry about you, Misao. You and I both know Kaoru and Megumi worry even more."

"I know," Misao sighed. "But, you remember my cousin, Tokio, right?" At Ayame's nod, she continued. "She saw him last night and so did Wolf, her husband. The Wolf even knows him. She told me so on the phone this morning. If there was a good reason for me not to be around him, Wolf would have told Tokio. I promise."

"Okay, just be careful," Ayame relented.

"I will," promised Misao.

* * *

Finally, three o'clock came around. Misao stood in front of the manager's office, smoothing her clothes and fixing her hair. She wanted to look as good as possible to make a good impression.

Raising her hand, Misao reluctantly knocked on the door and heard a voice from inside tell her to enter. She placed a trembling hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the door.

"Misao, hello. Please, come in and have a seat."

Misao entered and sat in one of the leather chairs across from Mr. Gensai. "Hello, sir," she quietly voiced to him.

"Misao, I've known you a long time. Though I know Kina, you got this job on merit. It just helps that I know you. I am supposed to get a reason from you, but that can wait a few minutes. Hopefully, you do realize that the probation doesn't matter. We know everyone messes up sometimes. We are, after all, human. Now, as for your reason. Do you have anything to say?"

"There is no reason," Misao said, bowing her head.

"Do not worry, my dear. It will all turn out fine. Thank you for coming and have a good day," he said, dismissing her.

"You too and bye," Misao smiled at her Jay's old friend and got up.

Misao exited the office and took the few steps to the employee locker room.

Misao entered the locker room to find it unusually empty. 'I guess everyone would already be gone,' she considered as she opened her locker.

From her locker, Misao pulled her bag and purse to set them on the bench. Sitting down between the bags, Misao pulled off the sandals and stuck them back in the locker after removing her tennis shoes.

Misao untied the laces and put on the shoes. Pulling the laces tight, she quickly tied them. She grabbed both bags and closed the locker, locking it. Moving towards the door, she slung the bag over her shoulder and unpinned her name tag.

Misao replaced her name tag in its slot and clocked out for three o'clock.

Misao headed for the doors, walking straight through the store and out the glass door.

Deep in thought of how to find a way to Aoshi again, Misao didn't hear her name being called.

After five times of calling her, the person decided to get her attention another. Lengthening his strides, Aoshi quickly caught up to Misao and swept her up into his arms. Misao immediately went rigid until she realized who was holding her.

"Aoshi!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.

"Hello," he sedately answered. He continued walking down the street with Misao in his arms, gathering strange looks from other pedestrians. "Are you busy right now?" he queried.

"No, I guess not. I was going to go to the dojo, but it can wait. Do you have something in mind?"

"A trip to the dojo? Aaaa. That sounds like a good idea. Only one stop first."

* * *

Wow. That was a long one, or at least it felt like it. I'm so surprised I got this done today! Yay! Um.........AN's. Well, I really felt like putting Dr. Gensai, Ayame, and Suzume in and that seems to work out okay. I hope I spelled the names right. Giving me a shout if I didn't. Yes, the next chapter is their trip to a dojo and maybe the rest of the afternoon/evening. We shall see. Again, depends on classes and how things go.

1-I don't believe I ever had them knowing each others' last names, so let's go with Misao's first and last names were on the paper with her number.


	10. Author's Note: A Request

Hey all! Yes, I am working on the next chapter. Woo hoo!!!!!! I had to rewrite it into a new notebook because the original is pretty much ruined, so I'm re-reading as I go. I wasn't all that pleased with how the last chapter ended, but I'm leaving it up to you, the readers, to decide whether the ending of chapter 9 should stay the same or not. So, please review and let me know. I'd say that I'll give it a day or two to see what kind of reviews I get before I move on with writing. Until then, I'll continue with mapping out my new story… Thanks guys!

midnight song

P.S.-I'm still searching for an editor so if anyone wants to volunteer, I'd appreciate it a lot. Do be warned, I don't update often.


	11. A Trip Out of Town

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Hi all!

Well, another chapter. I'm rather surprised I'm getting this out now. I will warn you this was short, but I wanted to send a chapter to my beta reader before I went on a school trip. We went to a major theatre to see Les Misérables. It was great! I figured out what I'm asking for as a graduation present because of it. Lol. I'm very excited now. I have a beta reader. So, so, so helpful. Anyway, again, I apologize for the shortness. I have started a new chapter, but with involvement in a community musical (yes, again this year) and homework and other things I am a little busy. Which translates to I don't know how long it will be until I update again. Hope you enjoy!

midnight song

ps-replies to reviews are at the end!

8/15/04

* * *

Walking around the corner, Aoshi set Misao down beside a black Eclipse. Digging in his pocket, he found the keys and unlocked the door. After Misao was seated in the passenger side of the car and her bag in the truck, Aoshi jogged around to the driver's side and got in. 

The car was filled with silence as Aoshi backed out of the parking spot and put the car into drive. Even the radio that was playing softly did not diminish the silence.

Glancing sideways at Misao, Aoshi questioned, "Where do you train at?"

"Ryuodoriko (1)," Misao quietly answered.

Nodding in affirmation, Aoshi returned his attention to the road.

Misao stared out the window watching the people walking on the street. All too soon, her eyes began to drift shut and Misao was asleep as Aoshi maneuvered the car down the road and onto a highway.

an hour later

Aoshi steered the car off the highway and down a long driveway lined with tall trees.

Approaching the mansion at the end of the driveway, Aoshi slowed the car and pulled to the side by the garage. When he had put the car in park and turned off the engine, he turned to Misao. 'What the hell am I supposed to do? I don't know if she wants waken up.'

Aoshi decided to brace himself and wake the sleeping female beside him. Reaching over to gently grasp her shoulder, he tenderly shook her, hoping to wake her.

Misao emitted a soft sigh and tried to turn on her side. Her head fell and hit the window, waking Misao on contact.

"Ugh, that hurts."

"Are you okay, Misao?" questioned Aoshi, causing her to jump.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Wait, where are we!"

"Shhhh…" he hushed her, opening his door.

Climbing out, he walked to the truck and extracted to bags before helping Misao out of the car.

Grabbing her smaller hand in his, he led her down a pathway running around the left side of the house towards the back. The small stone walkway wove through the trees and into a garden full of blooming flowers.

Misao's mouth dropped in wonder. 'Where the hell are we!' Turning her head in every direction, she tried to take in the beautiful flowers, from the daisies to the roses to the other exotic plants, which she didn't recognize.

Aoshi gave her hand a small tug, leading her onward.

They exited the garden and came to the backyard. A small double swing hung from the tall oak tree off to the right side. Looking past it, she saw tall hedges that almost looked as if they belonged in a maze.

Aoshi stood beside her, watching her reaction. A small smile forced its way onto his face at her surprise.

Knowing better than to disturb her, Aoshi left her as he began to head towards the building behind the tree and swing. This drew Misao's attention to it for the first time. There were shoji doors that replaced the doorways. Apparently, this building was still traditionally maintained.

Misao hurried after Aoshi, reaching his side as he rounded the tree. Together, they reached the door. Aoshi reached in front of Misao and slid the door open. Inside was an amazingly maintained, authentic dojo. Weapons hung on the walls and the hardwood floors still shone. Cushions and mats were stacked to the left of the door.

Aoshi walked inside, reaching back to pull the stunned Misao inside with him. He led the way to the center of the room and set the two bags he was carrying on the ground.

"B-b-b-but how? What?"

Aoshi bent, leaning his forehead against Misao's. "Do not worry about how. Use this time to practice. Everything in this room is yours to use. I will be inside."

With a small kiss to her lips, Aoshi turned and left the dojo.

Misao stared after Aoshi looking lost. Slowly, she turned to examine the room once more. In one corner, a tray with a traditional Japanese tea set on it sat. In the adjacent corner, a screen stood. The hand-painted design on the front depicted a small river with a bridge over it surrounded by rolling green hills. A young girl in a kimono watched a red flower float down the river from the bridge.

Hesitantly, Misao tore her gaze from the screen and wandered around, running her fingers over the weapons on the wall. She spent long moments studying the handles of a kunai set. The metal felt cool and smooth under her warm fingertips while the shape was comfortingly familiar.

Leaving the kunai, Misao returned to the center of the room to grab her bag. She noticed Aoshi's bag was gone and dragged hers across the floor towards the screen. She disappeared behind the screen and reemerged ten minutes later dressed in a black sports bra under a light purple spaghetti strap tank and black track pants slung low on her hips. She padded across the wood floor barefoot, hardly making a sound, until she reached the middle of the room. There she sat cross-legged on the floor to meditate.

Relaxing, Misao sank into her thoughts, letting them consume her. One by one, Misao pushed each thought out of her mind until the only thing she had to concentrate on was her heartbeat.

Taking time, Misao relaxed her body until she was calm and at peace.

* * *

After twenty minutes, Misao started to let her thoughts return. She examined each thought as it reentered her mind. She spent plenty of time letting each thought settle before allowing in another.

* * *

After an hour and a half after Misao began her meditation process, she stirred for the first time and worked to wake her sleeping limbs. Slowly, she stood and stretched, cracking her back.

* * *

Stiffly, she padded towards a sakubata and removed it from the wall brackets. Sliding it from the sheath, she laid the sheath on the floor by the wall and prepared for her first kata.

* * *

A/N: 1) Dragon Dancer 

5/24/07-Hello all who are still with me on this one. Sorry, but this is a rewrite, and of just the end, but I wasn't sure how much I liked the previous ending or how I'd work on from there. Anyway, I'll be working on the last chapter or 2 today and I hope to have them done soon.


	12. Evening In

Hi all! First off, **make sure you reread the end of the previous chapter**. It's been altered so that I could take the story in a different direction. This is the second to last chapter and the next one should be an epilogue, dealing with dinner with her aunt and a wrap up of what happened with Kaoru, Megumi, Kenshin, and Sanosuke. Mostly this chapter is filler to get me to the epilogue. So, let me know what you think and any suggestions to make this chapter better would be much appreciated. Thanks all. 5/24/07

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Panting hard, Misao finished her last set of kicks and stopped. She surveyed the room, observing the many weapons along the walls that she had used. Sighing, she made quick work of replacing the weapons on the walls before grabbing a small towel from her bag and heading inside the house.

The French double doors were wide open and Misao entered through them. She placed her bag by the door with her shoes and followed the soft musical strands she could hear floating into the room.

* * *

Aoshi stirred the simmering sauce, bringing the wooden spoon to his lips to taste it. He closed his eyes, savoring the rich tastes on his tongue. "Perfect," he murmured, moving to stir the pasta boiling beside the sauce. 

"Oh, perfect is it?" Misao teased from behind him. "Why am I not overly surprised to hear that?"

"Yes, perfect. And you tell me," Aoshi responded.

"Mmm…" Misao said, moving to stand behind Aoshi with her arms wrapped around his waist. "How soon are you planning on feeding me?"

"Five minutes. Would you mind setting the places at the island? Everything is sitting on the counter," Aoshi told her, motioning towards the aforementioned place settngs.

Misao smoothly moved from behind Aoshi to set their places as he brought the food to the table. Together the two ate in relative silence.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 

The two sat together in the living room, watching another movie with Misao snuggled into Aoshi's side. As the movie ended, Aoshi stood, picking Misao up as he did so. He carried her to a room upstairs while she slept. Moving inside the room, he pulled back the covers and deposited her in the bed

"Wait, Aoshi," she said, waking up enough to grab his hand as he began to walk away, "Stay. Please?"

"I'll be right back," he assured her.

Less than five minutes later, he returned in a pair of pajama bottoms and crawled into bed with Misao. Spooning up behind her, Aoshi wrapped an arm around Misao's waist and settled in for the night.

Sleepily, Misao questioned Aoshi, "When are we heading back?"

"Tomorrow, maybe after lunch. Now, get some sleep. Goodnight, Misao."

"Mmm…" she replied, already close to sleep.


	13. Family Dinner & Unexpected Twists

Hello all! I know it's been quite a while since I did anything with this story. Heck, I even planned for this to be the last chapter, but then I wrote it and it wasn't last chapter material. I'm going to try to go ahead and write the last chapter (or two) that it will take to wrap this up so that I can finally call it complete. Thanks to any and all who have stuck with me this long and I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think. I'm not overly sure if I even like how this went, but I believe someone asked for me to put in how things ended up with Megumi & Sano and Kaoru & Kenshin. I put that in, but I don't know how I like what it ended up as. So, tell me if you think I should carry on with it from here or go back and do something different. Enjoy! 8.14.07

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Misao asked as she led Aoshi back into her apartment. "I would totally understand…" 

"Misao, I agreed to come. I would not have if I did not want to go with you this evening," Aoshi said, stopping her from trying to let him out of the evening for the fifth time.

"Okay. Give me fifteen minutes to get ready. The tv's over…"

"I know," Aoshi said, again cutting Misao off. "It has not been that long since I was here."

"Fifteen minutes. Promise," she told him, standing on tiptoe to kiss him before hurrying out of the room.

Aoshi moved to the couch and sat down to watch a few minutes of television while he waited on his 'date' to get ready. Precisely fifteen minutes later, Misao emerged from her bedroom in a form-fitting wrap dress in a deep jade color. A silver heart on a chain was displayed in the deep v-neck of her dress and silver heeled sandals adorned her feet.

Aoshi flicked off the tv and stood as she approached. "You look nice," he complimented.

"Not one for words tonight, huh?" Misao teased him.

"Ha, ha," he replied sarcastically.

"Well, you look nice too," she told him. Aoshi, who had dressed earlier when they had stopped by his place, was wearing a pair of black pinstripe dress pants and a white button-down shirt. "Oh, crap," she exclaimed when she caught sight of the clock behind Aoshi. "We need to get going, or we're going to be late!"

Heading to the door, Misao quickly moved her things into her black clutch and allowed Aoshi to help her into a black cardigan sweater. They exited the apartment hand-in-hand and headed to hail a cab.

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"Misao!" Tokio called as she and Aoshi entered the restaurant. "Over here!"

Glancing up at Aoshi, Misao took his hand and led him over to her family. "Tokio. Wolf. Hello, Aunt Rei."

"Misao, darling, how've you been? You look amazing. Please, sit. And who might you be young man?"

"I've been great, Aunt Rei. This is Aoshi," Misao said, introducing the two.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Aoshi greeted. "Saitoh, nice to see you again."

"You as well, Shinomori," Saitoh replied, looking rather unhappy to have to say so. "My wife, Tokio."

"It's nice to meet you, Tokio-san."

"You as well, Aoshi-san. I've heard much about you."

All five of them sat down at the table and waited for the waitress to appear.

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"So, what did you think?" Misao questioned as she left the restaurant with Aoshi.

"Your aunt is an interesting woman; so is your cousin. Saitoh will always be Saitoh, of course," Aoshi commented.

"You put that rather kindly. Saitoh's an ass and I know it as well as you do. Tokio can be odd, but I guess she has to be to put up with him as a husband."

"Aa," he murmured. After a short pause as they strolled down the street holding hands, Aoshi pointed to a small coffee shop as he brought Misao to a stop and asked, "Are you in a hurry to get home or would you like to stop for a while?"

"That sounds wonderful," she replied, smiling up at him.

Smiling back, Aoshi gave in to an uncharacteristic impulse and kissed Misao's forehead. "Come," he stated.

They entered the coffee shop, both surprised to see Megumi and Kaoru. "Aren't those your friends from the other night?" Aoshi questioned Misao as they stood in line to order.

"Yeah. That's Megumi on the left with her boyfriend, Sano. The other two are Kaoru and her boyfriend, Kenshin. I went to the club with Megumi and Kaoru. They saw the boys at the club and basically abandoned me."

"Lucky for me."

"Yes, lucky for you, and for me," she agreed, smiling at him.

Aoshi wrapped his arms around Misao from where he stood behind her as they moved forward and they placed their orders. They waited patiently to the side and received their orders. They then moved over to say hello to Misao's friends.

"Hey, guys!" Misao greeted as she walked up with Aoshi.

"Weasal," Sanosuke greeted in return as the others nodded their own greetings.

"This is Aoshi," she introduced. "How was your night out the other evening?"

"Oh, it was interesting," Kaoru told her, Megumi nodding her agreement. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom real quickly. Misao? Megumi?"

The two quickly headed to the bathroom while Misao rolled her eyes at Aoshi before following.

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"So?" Misao asked as she entered the bathroom.

"It was horrible!" Megumi told her. "They lied to us and we let them get away with it, playing the forgiving girlfriends."

"Why?"

"Because, we didn't know what else to do!" Kaoru cut in. "It's not like they were cheating. They were just, not where they told us they would be."

"Which is basically lying to us," Megumi pointed out.

"I guess you need to decide then if the innocence of the act counteracts the fact that they lied to you," Misao told them. "But, you're on your own to determine that. Honestly, girls, I don't really want to help you with this. Yet, again, you abandoned me because of them. And now, you're keeping me from my date. Why does it seem that I keep getting screwed over here?" Breathing hard after her rant, Misao shook her head and added. "I don't really want to talk about it now. If you do, you can make plans with me later if you're able to separate yourselves from your boyfriends long enough. And I don't mean last minute, come drag me out of bed and to a club plans. You know my number." With that, Misao turned and left.

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"Hey, you mind if we get out of here?" Misao asked Aoshi as she slipped up beside him and under his arm.

With his arm wrapped securely around Misao's shoulders, Aoshi nodded and directed her towards the door. "It was nice to meet both of you," he told Sano and Kenshin.

After they exited and had walked a little ways, Aoshi asked, "What happened?"

"They wanted me to solve their problems for them. Me and my opinion only seem to matter when it benefits them. I got sick of it and told them to figure it out on their own. If they wanted to talk to me about all of it later, they knew my number."

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"It's not your fault. Besides, I have an evening ahead with my wonderful boyfriend. Why should I let this ruin it?"

"And what would you like to do with your boyfriend?"

"How about a movie? I know the perfect place. It's an old theatre with a bunch of leather couches in place of the seats. You can bring your own food and drinks in. And they show quite a collection of movies. I think tonight is black and white movies, but I'm not sure which one."

"Sounds good to me," Aoshi told her. "Where to?"


	14. Three Weeks Later

And here's the second to last chapter. It's short, but just kind of sets you up for the last chapter. Let me know what you think. Again, not sure how I feel about the direction, but looking to know what you, the readers, think. Enjoy! And please review!

* * *

Three Weeks Later:

She opened the door with her new set of keys and stepped inside the door. Tossing her keys down on the table inside the door and hanging her coat up, Misao moved towards the living room. Sitting down on the couch beside Aoshi, who was reading the newspaper, she curled up beside him with her head laying on his shoulder.

Aoshi placed a kiss on the top of her head before returning to his paper. Misao rested as Aoshi finished up the last few pages of the paper. He set it off to the side once he completed reading it and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "How did everything go?"

"As well as I'd expected. We were doing alright at first. They both apologized for treating me as they did and we talked about it a little. Then, Megumi got upset for some reason over it all and started in on how it was my fault anyway. Kaoru just got caught in the middle; she didn't know who to side with. Megumi ended up leaving because Kaoru wasn't siding with her. Kaoru and I talked for a bit afterwards and we're okay now. I just don't know what to do about Megumi."

"I'm sorry. Surely it will all work out."

"She'll come around eventually. She always did before anyway. She came in later on, after Kaoru and I had been friends for a while. After she showed up, problems like these started," Misao pointed out.

"Maybe it's for the best then?" Aoshi commented.

"It might be, but Sano and Kenshin were friends with Kaoru and me first. Sano's with Megumi and I think he'd choose her over me if pushed," Misao told him.

"Mmm…"

"It'll all work out somehow, I guess."

"It will. Have patience."


	15. Epilogue

Here's the last chapter!!!! It's not what I expected when I started this story and is rather open, but I kind of like it. Look for my finishing AN at the bottom if you're interested.

* * *

A Year & A Half Later:

"Misao, she's adorable!" Kaoru exclaimed. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure. Hold your arms like this…and support her head. There ya go!" Misao told her.

"Aw, she's so sweet," Kaoru commented. "And where'd your husband get to?"

"He went home to shower and change. He's been here since I go admitted, so it was about time. One of the nurses had to run him out," Misao explained, laughing. "And your husband?"

"Is coming by on his way home from work. So, what did you name her?"

"You'll have to wait to find out," Aoshi told her as he walked in the door. "We're telling everyone at once."

"And how soon will that be?" Kaoru questioned.

"I called Sano while I was at home. He and Megumi are coming around the same time we expect Kenshin," Aoshi informed the two, moving to sit on the edge of Misao's bed.

"Are things okay with Megumi now?" Kaoru questioned Misao.

"Yeah. Not perfect, but better. She seems to be at least trying any more, even if it is just for Sano's sake."

"I'm glad. It was horrible when you two weren't talking for a whole year. I hated it!"

"It wouldn't have been so bad had she not made the comments about us," Misao told her, nodding towards Aoshi to include him in her statement.

"That was terribly uncalled for," Kaoru conceded, making reference to the fact that Megumi had made snide remarks on the fact that Misao didn't deserve Aoshi and he was a fool to marry her. She had played it off as jealousy over Misao getting married first when she had been with Sano much longer.

The baby girl in Kaoru's arms began to cry, causing Aoshi to get up and bring his daughter back to his wife. Back in her mother's arms, she quieted and stared up at her mother with her father's eyes.

"Misao-dono. Aoshi-san. Hello, dear," Kenshin greeted as he entered the room. "I saw Sano and Megumi pulling in when I came in. They should be here soon."

"Good. I'm gonna need a nap soon," Misao commented to those present.

"Knock, knock!" Sano called as he strolled through the door with Megumi in tow. "I come bringing gifts."

Misao, Aoshi, Kaoru, and Kenshin all began to chuckle as they looked at Sano. He had a bouquet of pink flowers in his right hand, a balloon in his left, and a rather large bear in the circle of his arms. He entered and gave the balloon to Kenshin, the bear to Aoshi, and set the flowers on Misao's bedside table. "Let me see the little princess," he instructed his friend.

"Can we know her name now?" Kaoru asked impatiently.

"Babe?" Misao questioned Aoshi.

"Mika," Aoshi announced by way of an answer.

"How sweet!" Kaoru exclaimed.

As they all continued to visit and pass the young baby around the room, a nurse came and knocked on the door. "Excuse me, Shinomori-san. We need to take your daughter back to the nursery for a while."

Misao, who once again held her young daughter, passed her to her father with a look asking him to accompany the nurse. With a small smile, Aoshi took Mika and kissed his wife on the forehead before following the nurse out of the room.

"Misao, we better get going," Kaoru told her. "We have dinner reservations in an hour and Kenshin still needs to run by our place." Giving her a hug, she added, "Congratulations. She's beautiful. I'll stop back by tomorrow if you still want the company."

"Of course, Kaoru," Misao giggled. "I'll see you then. And thanks for coming by."

"You happy, Mi-chan?" Sano inquired as he took Kaoru's empty chair.

"Couldn't be happier. Thank you for the gifts."

"No problem. Ah, shit. I need to take this phone call," he informed her in reference to his vibrating cell phone. He quickly stood and exited the room to find a place to talk.

The room remained quiet upon his departure while Misao observed Megumi who studiously ignored her and looked out the window. Breaking the silence, Misao said, "Hello, Megumi."

"Hello, Misao," she replied, only semi-turning from her observation at the window. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. You know, you can say whatever it is that is bugging you," she told the slightly older woman.

"Sometimes, I wonder why I don't have your life," Megumi explained after a long pause. "The loving husband, the happy marriage, the baby. I'm watching you get what I want while I finally just convinced Sano that we should get engaged and married. I hate it." Admitting that, Megumi looked up long enough to meet Misao's eyes for a moment and then moved towards the door. "But, you deserve it more," she paused by the door to say.

"No, Megumi. I don't deserve it more. It just worked out this way. Hopefully, one day you can fully understand that so we can be friends like we used to be."

"We'll see," Megumi replied skeptically. Without looking back, she left to go find her fiancé.

* * *

AN: Wow. This story has been quite the journey. I started it in '04 if that tells you anything. The writer's block sucked and I got nowhere with this for a long time. I am happy with what it turned out as. I was so thrilled with the response and feedback. Thank you to all who have read and especially to those who have reviewed. I dare say I won't be returning to this fandom again, but you never know. Thanks again to everyone who has read!!! 


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